Together
by Jackimee
Summary: Previously titled "Immersed." Abed is in a bad state after a mishap in the Dreamatorium. Together, Annie, Troy, and Britta must find a way to reach him. Perspectives of all 4 characters. 2 parts. Happy ending.
1. Chapter 1

**Annie**

To be honest, yes, I got a little more offended than I probably should have. So, yes, I said some things that hit him pretty hard. But it was… weird… because he was playing Jeff… so I guess I expected him to maintain his composure. Even if "Jeff" were to defend Abed, what reason would he have to totally lose his cool like that? Oh, right, the fact that he was a character being played by Abed himself. I'd obviously forgotten that one when I decided to refer to Abed as a selfish ass, among other things. And I'd like to say, even if the shouting match and other repercussive events hadn't transpired… I'm really sorry for talking to him that way.

When he pushed me, I barely knew what happened. An enraged Abed was breaking forth from the character he had been playing. It was sorta like… seeing Jeff standing there, and a pair of disembodied Abed-arms flying out of him to shove me full-force. I was knocked off my footing and hit the wall a few feet behind me, banging my head pretty hard and slinking onto the floor. I wasn't injured or anything, but I couldn't help but feel terrified. I thought he was going to come after me. Hell, I didn't even have time to convince myself otherwise! His fists and teeth were clenched, and he stepped toward me… the sight was alarming to say the least. Even thinking about it in retrospect is almost disturbing. Because he wasn't totally Abed, but nor was he totally "Jeff." He was a confused half-and-half character bursting at the seams with blind fury, not comprehending who he was, let alone what he was capable of.

I could hardly breathe in that moment, and I realize now that I had been shaking, and, well, doing that eye thing. Everyone seems to think that I do it on purpose to be manipulative, but it's really nothing more than a physical reaction! It happens when I'm upset, or scared, and I don't know, I guess it gives me some kind of power over people… whatever. In any case, I'm lucky my eyes fluttered this time, because who knows what Abed would have done if I hadn't?

Suddenly, Abed transformed fully back into himself. His fists opened up and his fingers splayed in what looked like something along the lines of horror. His brow furrowed as he looked down at me, stunned and wide-eyed. I watched him as he backed away, fidgeting and whimpering. Now more concerned about his well-being than mine, I said his name. All he could manage was to blurt out, "It was Jeff. It wasn't me, it was Jeff." His hands were kind of freaking out, trying to grab hold of… well, anything. It was almost like he was looking for stability, literally. They ended up finding his head and grabbing his hair as his whimpering approached a scream. This was enough for me to approach him.

I'm not sure what to call the little episodes that Abed has sometimes. I don't even know if they're the same thing each time, or if this was even one of them. I put my hand on his back, trying to show him he hadn't really harmed me, and the episode turned into more or less of a panic attack. He started to hyperventilate, which at least is less unsettling than screaming. Soon, however, he was on the floor.

* * *

**Troy**

I was driving when Annie called me, so I didn't answer. Then I got a text, and I read it when I got to a light. I know you're not supposed to do that, but I always get nervous that I might be missing an important message. Especially with the way Abed's been lately.

Man, I worry about him. Well, I worry about him like, for now. It feels bad when he's feeling bad - that kind of thing. But I think this is just something he's going through. I mean the dude's usually more on top of things than _I_ am… I guess I'm just trying to say I know he'll be okay. He just needs the people who care about him to keep his feet on the ground right now.

So the text was like, "Call me asap," and that really freaked me out. So I pulled into a Dunkin' Donuts parking lot… and I called Annie, and she sounded really upset… started telling me how Abed had gotten mad and pushed her in the Dreamatorium. I'm starting to think that place is bad for him. And that sucks, because… that… that's kind of where we bro out, you know? …guh, no, I'm not crying. This isn't about me. What was I saying?

Um, so Abed was freaking out, and Annie said to come home immediately. I would have even if she hadn't said to.

* * *

**Britta**

I have a feeling I wasn't the first person they called. Jeff is everyone's go-to guy, which is weird, because he isn't available to be that guy half the time. But I think he was probably who they called first. I might have been second, since I'm a Psych major. But even if not, I get it. I'm not the first person I'd call if I needed someone to help… my…self. Whatever. I care about Abed and I'd be over there in the drop of an eye even if I were the last person they thought to call.

I didn't get much of what Annie said over the phone, but I inferred that Abed was in some kind of trouble. Troy opened the door for me when I got there, and the look in his eye was borderline painful to look at. He's so connected to Abed that he seems to be in physical agony when his friend is having an episode. As shitty as this whole situation was, that part of it was almost…

Never mind. I don't know what I'm talking about. But anyway, I come in, and Abed is lying on the couch bracing himself and breathing funny. Annie was kneeling on the floor, trying to take his hand, saying his name gently… But his fists wouldn't unclench and his widened eyes wouldn't focus on her. Troy was sniffling. I think he'd probably done all he could. Maybe they were taking shifts. I kneeled down silently next to Annie, and then I heard the whole story.

I don't think the Dreamatorium is a healthy thing for Abed to be in very often. I don't know, it seems like it just encourages the self-destructive habits he has. Avoiding reality… and escaping his own identity… It seems like those are his first option with how to cope with anything. But they always make things worse. It's a vicious cyclone.

I think when he was lying there on the couch, something in him was desperately trying to avoid facing us after he'd done something he felt was so terrible. He needed to know we forgave him.

* * *

**Abed**

I don't know how it happened. I guess I was momentarily disregarding real-world consequences because I got too immersed in the simulation. I was Jeff, so none of it was real anyway. Nothing is real a large percentage of the time. Lately, at least.

We were arguing, and I was mad. And I was just following the story. I was playing a character who was mad, and angry characters often lash out physically. But it happened fast. And Annie was on the floor, and she'd been hurt, and she was shaking, and it was my fault. It was technically Jeff who'd pushed her, but I was the one controlling him. It was _my _muscle behind the push, and it was _my_ anger.

I don't know what happened next. The next thing I remember was trying not to gag when my throat was dry from breathing so fast.


	2. Chapter 2

**Troy**

When Abed is in one of his states, I really feel a part of me is missing. Because he _is_ part of me, and when he gets that way, it's kind of like he's gone for the moment. It's like... ouch.

So... by the time me and Annie were moving Abed to the other room, we were both getting really stressed out. I felt like we were the parents of a coma patient. And when it started to get obvious that we weren't gonna get through to him, Annie wanted to call Jeff. Don't get me wrong, Jeff is the man in a lot of situations, but I thought Britta would be the better person to call for help this time. I have a feeling she just _gets_ some stuff. Like, feelings stuff? I don't know. It's just that usually when I talk to her about anything feelings-related, she kinda starts nodding in understanding even before I finish. It's like I don't even need to say it. And because Abed was lying there incapable of saying anything at all, I thought maybe she'd be able to read his brain anyway.

* * *

**Annie**

Britta surprises me sometimes. She has a lot of really obnoxious and... oblivious... ways about her, but in some respects, she's one of the most sensitive and, I guess, compassionate people I know. Maybe it was because the stakes were high, but it was impressive. She wrapped one of Abed's hands in both of hers, even though his fists were sealed with a padlock, and the sort of... calm certainty of that gesture seemed to comfort him, even if only to a microscopic degree.

But something else had to be done. All the understanding in the world is not going to get through to someone who's temporarily incapable of acknowledging your existence.

The way I see it, navigating around Abed's mind is a puzzle. I think a lot of the same things go on in his head as everyone else's, but they get there by a different route. The Dreamatorium is like a detour: a means for him to get around his own thoughts, anxieties, and analyses. And of course, how do we get to our destination when the main roads are blocked? Maybe just follow Abed's lead and take those back roads.

* * *

**Britta**

I was skeptical. I'm still skeptical. But I have to give props to Annie for sticking to her guns. What would we have had to do if she hadn't insisted on bringing Abed back into the Dreamatorium... call an ambulance? So they could stick a bunch of needles him and lock him up in the Ministry of Love until they beat his mental differences out of him by force? Yeah, not on my watch.

So we got him into the Dreamatorium, and we propped him up in the corner. But then the three of us basically ended up standing there with our arms crossed, staring at each other and waiting for someone to start, um, whatever it was we were going to start. I took the liberty of suggesting we kind of write an Inspector Spacetime episode that incorporates friendship and forgiveness, but I don't think that went over too well based on the expressions Troy and Annie shot at me.

We ended up in a huddle, trying to think of who we each could play, what TV show or movie would lure Abed back to us. Annie pointed out that even if he were to spring into action as one of his favorite characters, we wouldn't be able to talk to him as _himself. _Then this hopeless silence descended.

Troy has a habit of pointing out the obvious, but I have this theory that he's actually a genius. He arrives at the smartest conclusion by finding the answer that everyone automatically looks past. Annie and I were about to abandon hope, when he comes out with, "Guys... maybe we should just play ourselves."

* * *

**Abed**

"Render environment: Study room!"

That much I understood.

"Uh... Look, I'm Annie! I... like things to be perfect!" Annie appeared at the table with an open textbook and a purple pen.

"I'm Britta; I'm the worst!" There was Britta, across from Annie, mouth turned down.

"Uh, I'm Troy...!" And there was Troy.

But as Abed, I wasn't there yet; I could tell. So I became a couch in the corner.

Annie looked up from her book. "Hey guys, where is everyone?"

Britta exclaimed, "I don't know_, _Annie!" and they both looked at her for a few seconds. Then Troy answered.

"Jeff's, uh... at Banana Republic, Shirley had to take Elijah and Jordan to a birthday party, and Pierce is... worshipping Buddha?"

"Oh," Annie said, and she wrinkled her forehead the way people do when they say they're nervous.

There was silence.

"...Where's Abed?" Annie asked.

"I don't know." "Me neither."

"Uh-oh."

Troy took a shaky breath. "I haven't seen him in a while. You guys?" They shook their heads.

A sullen ambience emerged. Not the type of ambience that requires a sad song in the background; more the serious silence that happens between sentences when TV characters talk about a dead family member.

"I wish he were here," Britta said.

Troy and Annie nodded, and now everyone's forehead was wrinkled. They looked at the couch in the corner, but it was empty.

Now Britta spoke slowly, and she sounded the way she usually does. "Do you guys... remember that time... I introduced Abed to Cougarton Abbey? And all the characters died in the sixth episode?" She laughed quietly and then sighed. "He never held that against me for some reason."

"Yeah, that's right..." Annie recalled, nodding. "And, god, remember when I broke his Batman DVD? I was sure he was gonna kill me!" She looked down at the table and smiled as she ran her hand across it. "But no," she continued, "he took us on an adventure, essentially. And then he accepted my apology without a second thought."

She looked at Troy, who smiled and shook his head. But then they stared at him for several seconds and his smile disappeared. He looked down so his face was less visible, and he breathed out heavily through his nose.

"...I said something really bad to him during the pillows and blankets war. Really... bad. I don't know how he forgave me..." He lowered his eyebrows and nodded after a second. "I guess he's good at that. He forgave all of us."

"He knows we're good people," Britta said.

She was right. Good people sometimes make mistakes.

But I wasn't there yet, and now there was another silence. It lasted longer than people usually find comfortable.

"Yeah," Annie responded, finally, but it sounded like a new scene. "Abed _is_ a really forgiving person. In fact, I can't think of anyone he could hold a grudge against."

"He just sees the good in everyone!" Britta added.

But Troy furrowed his brow and shook his head 'no.'

When the girls saw him shaking his head, they looked at him wordlessly for several seconds with their eyes open wide. I know that when people do that, they're trying to be inconspicuous. But I noticed.

"What are you doing?" Troy said, finally.

Annie stammered. "We're... just talking about how great Abed is. What are _you_ doing?"

"That's not what we're trying to-" Troy blurted out, then stopped himself. Over the next fifteen seconds, he began to look the way he does before he starts crying. But then he didn't cry; he spoke.

"Yeah, Abed's great. Okay, but he's not perfect. Don't pretend he is. He makes mistakes like everybody else. Or did you forget what just happened?" Annie and Britta looked at him with an expression I've seen before, but still can't classify. Troy continued.

"Abed flips out every time unexpected changes happen. He hurts people's feeling occasionally because he can't read faces... including those of clocks. He refuses to live in reality sometimes... But that's... okay!"

I heard heartfelt music in the back of my head, and he went on, looking intently at Annie and Britta.

"He and I are best friends, and no one can deny we both do stuff wrong. I'm always taking stuff the wrong way, like an idiot. And I do impulsive crap _all_ _the time_! But he accepts me that way, and not by pretending my flaws aren't there. He knows I... don't get some shit... and that I wish I were more mature. He's well aware. And he helps me when I need it; forgives me when I'm sorry; sticks by me while I grow as a person and get through the things I gotta get through."

He teared up as he paused.

"I just wanna do the same for him," he said. "But I can't. Because he's not here."

Then I appeared, sitting on the couch in the corner, but they weren't looking yet.

"I just want him to understand that I'm gonna stick by him no matter what mistakes he makes," Troy concluded. Britta and Annie had teared up too, but I think they were also smiling a little. That confused me at first.

"Me too," Annie said.

"Me three," Britta said, and she took Troy's hand, holding it until I showed myself.

"Sorry I'm late," I said, as I got up and approached the table.

"_Abed!_" My friends said my name. They ran to hug me, all smiling.

"And... I'm sorry," I added. Even though I know they heard me, no one said anything. But they kept hugging me, so I guess that served the same purpose. The best part was that they were all really here with me. So I didn't need the Dreamatorium, even if only for the moment.

"Stop simulation."


End file.
